3/21/07 Wine Dinner at IRON HORSE INN
Tonight’s wine dinner was very nice — Wendy & I joined Cindy, Mo, Angel, and Greg for a very nice meal at the Iron Horse Inn. Chris & Devin did a nice job of explaining the wines.
First Course
Deconstructed Spicy Crab Sushi
Clean State Riesling
I really liked the Riesling. The first taste was almost overpoweringly sweet, but the second (and subsequent) tastes were much more balanced. It went very nicely with the crab sushi, which was “deconstructed” — the components of the dish — nori, spices, crab, and a sauce — were spread out on the plate.
Second Course
Grilled Salmon, Creamy Rosemary Polenta, Tomato Gravy
Bootleg Chianti
The saLmon (hi Mo!) and the polenta went well together, the gravy and the polenta were okay together, but the combination of all three components was less than the sum of its parts. The wine (which was good) was paired with the gravy and tasted pretty good, but the overall dish and wine wasn’t one of my favorite pairings.
Third Course
Pork Tenderloin, Truffled Wild Mushroom Blue Cheese Compote
Bootleg Southern Red
I didn’t care for the blue cheese component to the mushroom compote, but I was shouted down by my tablemates, who liked it. The pork was well-prepared, moist, tender, and flavorful. The pairing with the wine — which is a blend of 25% Primitivio, 25% Negroamaro, 25% Montepulciano, 25% Uva di Troia — was very nice.
Fourth Course
Vanilla Bruleed Rack Of Lamb, Toasted Couscous, Grape Tomatoes, Baby Spinach
Root One Cabernet Sauvignon
Before & during this course, we sampled a duck breast dish that we enjoyed at a previous wine dinner and has now been added to the dinner menu at the Iron Horse. Man, that’s a good dish! The rack of lamb was a nice compliment to the duck, and was an excellent course in its own right. I really like couscous and could eat a large bowl of it, and it went nicely with the lamb, which was crusted with a bit of vanilla sugar. The Cab was a nice wine and paired well.
Dessert
Chocolate Flourless Torte, Espresso Anglaise, Blackberry Compote
Unico (Gran Reserve) Cabernet Sauvignon
As loyal readers of this site know, I am not a huge fan of chocolate desserts, but this torte was very nice. The anglaise was very good, and the compote was a necessary ‘high note’ of sweetness.
After dinner, Angel, Wendy, Greg, and I sat around and talked (and drank — thanks for the Moscato d’Asti, Angel!) for a couple hours. It was a nice visit to end a nice meal!